New Year’s speech
Chancellor Scholz: “We can also cope with headwinds”
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses the citizens with a New Year’s speech. photo
© Markus Schreiber/Pool AP/AP
The world has become “more restless and rough,” as the Chancellor said in his New Year’s speech. But everyone is needed in Germany, and so there is no need to be afraid of the future.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is optimistic that Germany can meet the challenges of this time. “We can also cope with headwinds,” said the SPD politician in his statement New Year’s address, the text of which was distributed in advance on Saturday. “That doesn’t make the challenges of our time any smaller.”
But the insight that everyone is needed – the top researcher as well as the geriatric nurse, the policewoman as well as the parcel delivery person, the pensioner as well as the young trainee – makes us strong. “If we realize this, if we treat each other with this respect, then we don’t have to be afraid of the future!”
“We in Germany will get through this”
Scholz also spoke of understanding for the concerns of citizens. “As soon as Corona was halfway over, Russia launched a relentless war in the middle of Europe,” he said. Shortly afterwards, Russian President Vladimir Putin turned off the gas tap, and in the fall there was the brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel. “Our world has become more restless and rough. It is changing at a breathtaking speed.”
That’s why Germany also has to change. “This also causes dissatisfaction for some. I take this to heart,” he said. “And at the same time I know: We in Germany will get through this.”
Scholz announced that he wanted to invest heavily in the future. “Anyone who travels by train these days or is stuck in a traffic jam in front of a dilapidated bridge realizes that our country has been subject to wear and tear for too long. That’s why we’re investing now: in proper roads and a better railway.”
However, all of this has not become easier given the far-reaching ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court in mid-November. “We won’t be able to implement all of the projects we had in mind.”
Chancellor criticizes policies of the current year
In mid-November, the Federal Constitutional Court declared the reallocation of 60 billion euros in the 2021 budget to be null and void. The money was approved as a Corona loan, but was subsequently intended to be used for climate protection and the modernization of the economy. At the same time, the judges decided that the state was not allowed to set aside emergency loans for later years.
The Chancellor also found critical words for the policies of the current year. “Discussions about the right path are part of it. The struggle for fair compromises is also part of it – even if I could have done without some of the loud debates in the past weeks and months.”